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My wife and I are nearly late fifties and are planning a trip in Sept/Oct next year up on the east coast of US and into Canada. I am developing a plan that includes a drive from Philly to NYC, however, the NJ Turnpike sounds a little daunting based upon other forum entries.

We have all day to make this part of the trip and are willing to take interesting diversions. Could you please make some suggestions on interesting diversions or do you suggest we travel by train/plane?

I will join the chorus of those who recommend taking the Amtrak train. Personally I hate the nj turnpike and nj police love to give expensive tickets whether u are speeding or not, especially if u are driving a car with out of state plates and it is a holiday weekend or the end of the month. Sorry, had to rant.

That said if u decide to drive I would not detour off the main road but would drive straight through. If you want to see some sights there are better ones in the city also if you want to see countryside that is not the area to do so as Northern New Jersey is a densely populated area not very scenic except for the lambertville new hope area.

Not mentioned are the buses ... Megabus or Bolt bus .... about $30 for two, each way. Amtrak for 2 each way is about $102. Depending on traffic / time of travel ... about 1/2 hour in travel time difference, with Amtrak being the quicker.

I have to agree with some of the other commenters that there isn't much missed with a direct trip between Philly and NYC. If you want to keep costs at their absolute lowest, look into the "Megabus" schedule, which generally has a half dozen departure times from 30th St Station in Philly to NYC (drop-off near Penn Station) for as little as $10-20 each way. These bus companies, I believe, got a bad rep from the Chinatown DC-Philly-NYC routes, and with each Megabus offering free wi-fi Internet, you really cannot beat the cost or convenience.

Your time is much better spent taking a day trip to the outer burbs in the five-county region around Philly. I recommend New Hope (in Bucks County, across the river from Jersey) if you are into stunningly-beautiful small-town USA (with stellar shopping). The Flight 93 Memorial is also a worthwhile stop that would be on your way from Philly to New Hope.